Death Under Moonlight
by UnicornSociety
Summary: Skulduggery and Valkyrie are out on a night stroll, oblivious to the fact the moon kills people. The rays of light the moon sends out every night kills people in under a second, causing no visible body damage. Skulduggery must investigate who is doing this, how and why, trying not to get themselves killed in the process. The moon is deadly. Will they escape it?
1. Prologue

Death Under Moonlight

Prologue

"The crystal moon glistened on a white skull, with a hint of turquoise. This skull belonged to a very lovely, caring, handsome skeleton detective, whose name was," began Skulduggery before he was rudely interrupted.

"Oh, no, Skulduggery, no. You're getting this wrong! It obviously begins this way," said Valkyrie, disappointed with Skulduggery's failed attempt of starting a conversation/story. "Skulduggery the irritating, sarcastic, guy-that-pisses-you-off-all-the-time detective cocked his head again. Oh, listeners, you didn't hear about that annoying habit of his?"

"Well, I say. You certainly are improving on your bitchiness lately, right? You know, sometimes you can be a real..." grunted Skulduggery, before he was, yet again, rudely interrupted.

"I love you too." Skulduggery scowled, and strolled off into a random direction, obviously going to do his annoying cocking head habit so that Valkyrie couldn't mock it.

"_When I move my head to the side, I look professional and absolutely fantastic,"_ Skulduggery thought to himself, confident with himself now that this habit of his could be rather useful when it comes to being sexy. He turned back to Valkyrie. Look at her. Thinking he was nothing. Well, he was going to prove how heroic he was. But how? He'd already tried the "cat stuck up a tree" technique, and Valkyrie, surprisingly, didn't seem to overly impressed.

"What?" Valkyrie said. Skulduggery looked up.

"What?" he responded solemnly.

"You look like you're thinking," Valkyrie muttered.

"And...?"

"And what?"

"So what, exactly, is the reason for saying what in the first place?"

"How the hell am I meant to know," Valkyrie yelled. It's a Monday. Valkyrie is always grumpy on Mondays. "God, Mondays." He knew it. It was Mondays. He felt so clever.

"So why are we here again?" Valkyrie asked. Then a piercing scream. Just out of no where. Skulduggery spun round so his sockets met Valkyrie's grey eyes.

"To have fun," Skulduggery laughed. His skull grinned all the time, but she knew on the inside he was smiling.

"We're going to help the screaming dude, aren't we?"

"Yes we are."


	2. The Moon Kills

_**I apologise the prologue wasn't actually a prologue, in the way that it just wasn't the right story to be prologue. Well that's actually a matter of opinion, but the people who thought it wasn't set in the right way to be a prologue were correct, because it leads onto this chapter. But I hope you enjoy this one.**_

Death Under Moonlight

One

_Sweating. My body was starting to feel heavier as I crossed the road. No one to cry out help to. I screamed once again, falling and feeling pain flow through to my leg. Screaming more. Will I ever stop? My house is only a couple of blocks away, I can make it. Away from the rays. The rays that killed Mickey and that nearly killed Sarah. Is Sarah dead too? Even if I live, will I even have friends? How is this possible? I've witnessed other people die tonight because of those rays. Those treacherous rays. They killed Mickey, they kill everyone once their victim walks in the rays, if they try to run, the rays follow. And that's what they are doing now. Following. They are getting closer, I know they are. Everyone is in their homes, crying and traumatised, and hiding. From them. Then a voice. Reassuring me. Telling my everything is going to be OK. I want to warn these friendly people. Tell them to run. They're asking me what's the matter. I want to tell them but I can't._

"_The rays. They're coming."_

Skulduggery glanced up at Valkyrie.

"Rays?" Valkyrie said, confused.

"Surprisingly, I'm just as confused as you are," Skulduggery muttered, looking up and down the road, puzzled. "The rays. Humph. Usually I get what's going on. This is very annoying indeed."

"Amazing. What do we do?" Valkyrie asked, getting up from the corpse, and walking down the road. "The rays. Skulduggery, she said the rays, right?"

"She certainly did. I definitely remember her saying the rays. Do you? I just remember I do, just like remembering she said the rays are coming," Skulduggery replied.

"Stop being annoying and confusing and listen. This is serious. They are coming. We can both see it under our noses, Skulduggery. Skulduggery..." Valkyrie whispered, looking ahead at nothing distinct. She looked terrified but nothing was there. Skulduggery looked thoroughly through the area Valkyrie was looking strait at. Still nothing obvious came into view.

"Yes?" Skulduggery whispered back.

"Run. Run now!" Valkyrie screamed, sprinting off down an alley, Skulduggery standing, confused and annoyed how he didn't know what was happening. But he used his common sense and decided to follow after Valkyrie. It was already too late. Pain swarmed Skulduggery's body and he fell to his knees, all control over his body giving away. Screams rang out through the night.

Doctor Nye just had to be the first thing Skulduggery saw when he woke up.

"Hello," it said, bending over, looking strait into Skulduggery's sockets.

"Why am I here?" Skulduggery muttered, coughing and spluttering all of Nye as it took a step back, waiting for the skull to recover.

"Because you nearly died, I'm sorry to tell you," Nye replied, looking once again over the skeleton, studying the frame that was Skulduggery's body. "But that's all we know. We don't know what happened or why, but you nearly died. Miss Cain seems to have some crazy idea that she told over and over to the Grand Mage."

"I nearly died? Oh, how tragic would it be if I actually _died?_ Oh, riots would start."

"Why would riots start?"

"People would get so depressed. Anyway, I don't like being here. I nearly died, but I'm alive and well, so if you would let me go.."

"I'm afraid not. The Grand Mage insists on you getting rest, as the painful experience of nothing whatsoever happening to you, nearly killing you, tired you. Rest, Skull."

"Skull?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well, I guess I have someone to speak to. Lets start a conversation." Nye groaned and looked at Skulduggery, not listening to a single world he was saying at all.

Sarah Sanders slammed the cupboard door shut, screaming and kicking. Most people would think this is extremely immature for her age. But she had saw her friend last night die, and just heard the other one died too. She tried to tell the reporters the truth. They all thought it was a scam and now they are coming. She doesn't know who they are, but fire blaze from their fingertips and they ripple air simply with a slight movement. What should she call them? Wizards? Dark wizards? The Dark Clan? It's random, but it just sprung into her mind. The Dark Clan, well they were never going to find her. She stopped screaming, realising she lost them.

"All we want to do is help you, Sarah! We believe your story! The moonlight. We believe you."

So many voices reassuring her, but she never, ever reveal herself. If she did, she don't know what The Dark Clan would do with the story she told them. Make it viral? Who knows what the outcome will be. The moon being destroyed by a super-robot the government has designed? She didn't know. But she knew she needed to get out. And quickly. Very quickly.

"Miss Cain? Can I help you?"a guard asked.

"You can help me by moving aside. A close colleague of mine randomly nearly died yesterday, and as I'm extremely upset, I want to see the progress he's making. Is that OK with you?" Valkyrie answered neutrally. The guard frowned, unsure to move aside or to not move aside, and after a couple of moments hesitation, he decided.

"Mr Pleasant is very unwell, and is not in the position to see anybody at the moment." Then, Valkyrie heard a faint noise coming from the surgery room. She heard faintly: "The sparrow flies south for winter," and then realised Skulduggery was in a perfect state to see her. Skulduggery opened the door and tilted his head, glaring at Valkyrie and the guard.

"Was I interrupting any important conversations?" Skulduggery asked, looking between Valkyrie and the guard.

"Of course not, Mr Pleasant," the guard said awkwardly, walking away down a corridor Valkyrie had never been down before. Skulduggery looked at Valkyrie, and she knew he was confused. She shrugged, putting on a forced smile.

"So, Valkyrie. What nearly killed me?" Skulduggery muttered, taking a step closer to Valkyrie.

"The moon."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm telling you. Not even The Grand Mage himself believes it."

"I wonder why."

"Skulduggery, listen to me now. The moon nearly killed you last night, and I know because when the moonlight was coming towards us, I knew what that girl meant. The rays. Skulduggery, she meant the rays of moonlight. That's what nearly killed you."

"That's insane."

"I know. But true."

"How can you prove this, Valkyrie?" Skulduggery asked curiously, tilting his head, somehow knowing what the answer to this question would be.

"I can't prove it." Well, that was predictable. Skulduggery sighed, deciding to investigate Valkyrie's point, not knowing where on this planet it would lead them.

"OK, so I guess the moon might be able to kill people. Well, that's a new one."


	3. Thrasher Has A Gun?

_**The size of font and stuff might of changed but just ignore and read on. I hope you enjoy. Just to say I didn't plan the next chapter so if it's terrible, please understand **_

Death Under Moonlight

Two

The Bentley skidded to halt, Skulduggery and Valkyrie stepping out, both looking incredibly depressed. The scars on Skulduggery's ribs were horrifying and obviously needed looking at by Doctor Nye, but according to Skulduggery himself, he didn't have time. The moon was killing people and the population on the planet is dropping. People are dropping like flies and Valkyire and Skulduggery needed to stop it. Starting with seeing the one person they think has the answer. And they had to be a maniac remnant in the world's most powerful prison. Skulduggery's black shoes scraped across the tarmac, head drooping down.

"Why are you making grunting noises?" Valkyire asked. There was an awkward silence as Skulduggery looked upwards, a bony hand touching his rib-cage. "You're in pain, right?"

"What's wrong with that? Aren't I aloud to feel pain like normal people?" Skulduggery grunted aggressively. Valkyire just didn't reply. In fact, she couldn't be bothered to deal with Skulduggery's moods. He was in a mood. A very bad one. They both approached a broad man with two sub-machine guns strapped to his chest, with cropped hair and wearing a purple uniform.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Not very much. We just want you to let us inside," Skulduggery answered, attempting to sweep beside the man and into the entrance, but Skulduggery found himself being pulled tightly back out of the prison.

"Why are you here?" asked the man, stepping forward heroically.

"That doesn't make you look good," Valkyire mentioned.

"I'm sorry?" replied the guard, frowning, confused at Valkyire's comment.

"Just thought I should mention. In fact, you don't look very good at all. We're here to see Tanith Low."

"Tanith Low is currently…busy."

"The sparrow.." Skulduggery began, until Valkyire butted in rudely.

"No. My go," she groaned, swinging her fist round to hit the man's face. The man fell back, astonished and puzzled, grabbing Skulduggery's bony leg as he tried to hurry past.

"I don't think you will be able to get away with that!" the man furied, punching Skulduggery. Skulduggery fell back, crying out as he landing on his ribs. The man glared at Valkyrie, looking surprisingly angry. She was his next target

"I'm going to kill you," the guard whispered coldly.

"Oh no!" said a light voice from behind Valkyrie. " That man is going to kill someone! How horrific." Valkyrie spun to look strait into Thrasher's grey eyes.

"Shut up," muttered Scapegrace, punching Thrasher.

"That hurt," Thrasher whimpered.

"Oh, look who it is," Valkyrie groaned.

"Hey, I'm in a tin container. Be nice," Scapegrace ordered Valkyrie, as she walking towards Thrasher, who was holding Scapegrace in his hands.

"Drop it," ordered Valkyrie. "Now!" Thrasher ran past the guard, the guard spinning around, not expecting what just happened.

"Hey! Come back!" he yelled. The guard sprinted inside after Thrasher. Thrasher was crying inside there. Typical.

"Skulduggery. Lets go!"

The prison walls were a shiny metal, and roasting hot. So hot, in fact, that if you put your ear near the wall, you can just manage to hear a faint bubbling sound. Skulduggery and Valkyrie stopped at a prison door marked: "_Tanith Low." _ They walked in the cell.

"I thought this was meant to be the world's most powerful prison. And we literally just walked in," Valkyrie laughed.

"Oh, it is the world's most powerful prison. Oh my God. Tanith. Look at her," Skulduggery said faintly, sprinting towards Tanith, who was locked up in so many layers of thick chain, that most of her body wasn't visible. She had some kind of tight helmet on, and her eyes were closed.

"Is she OK?" Valkyrie asked.

"Of course she is. If you count being in an endless coma OK. If she is in an actual endless coma, the moon will just carry on killing people. On and on. Every night, the rays are getting more powerful. What is they end up tearing this planet apart. They're already destroying roads and whole houses. We need Tanith, Valkyrie," Skulduggery said deeply, touching Tanith's pale skin, falling to his knees.

"Why do we need her, Skulduggery?" Valkyrie asked, kneeling down next to Skulduggery, who seemed to be devastated. This must be the very first time. The first time they failed.

"We need her to find the location on Billy-ray Sanguine. She saw him last, and apparently, she is the only person who knows of his apparent location. Billy-ray has recently, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you this vital part of the mystery, been studying how the moon works. He works with fellow people more powerful than him. If we can at least get witnesses from him before time runs out, we can find out how the rays from the moon is killing people and who is doing it, maybe. We can't do this without Tanith!" Skulduggery yelled, finally standing up looking strait into Valkyrie's eyes. "We're doomed, Valkyrie!"

"You certainly are," said a high pitched voice from behind them. They both turned to see Thrasher. With a gun. Thrasher had a gun?

_Wow, Skulduggery thought, this world just gets weirder._


End file.
